Child Protection Association Warns Against Cuts to Youth Welfare Offices and Counseling Centers

Grein also warned against dismantling these structures. „Wenn diese Strukturen nun aus Spargründen zurückgefahren würden, könnten Kinder schlechter geschützt werden", he said. Counseling centers, youth welfare offices, and specialized agencies for sexualized violence must be maintained and expanded. These services must not depend on the financial situation of individual municipalities.

Rising Case Numbers Nationwide

The BKA had presented its federal situation report „Sexualdelikte zum Nachteil von Kindern und Jugendlichen" together with Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), BKA chief Holger Münch, and the Federal Commissioner on Issues of Sexual Child Abuse, Kerstin Claus, in Berlin. Dobrindt described the figures as „erschreckend hoch" and demanded: „Wir müssen unsere Kinder besser schützen - besonders in der digitalen Welt". Perpetrators must not feel safe in the anonymity of the internet.

In addition to sexual abuse of children, police recorded 41,677 offenses related to child pornography last year, as well as cases of the distribution, acquisition, possession, and production of corresponding recordings. In cases of recordings of sexual violence against adolescents, the figures rose by 19.9 percent year-on-year to 11,515 cases. For recordings of sexual violence against children, the number declined slightly by 2.7 percent, also to 41,677 cases.

Victims and Suspected Perpetrators

The statistics show a total of 18,736 victims of sexual child abuse, 3.6 percent more than the previous year. 13,870 of the victims were girls, 4,866 boys. In 54 percent of cases, there was a prior relationship between victim and suspected perpetrator. In cases of abuse of adolescents, such a prior relationship also existed in most instances. The number of registered cases of sexual abuse of adolescents rose from 1,191 to 1,239. In investigations against minors as suspected perpetrators, it is notable that just over half of the suspects in offenses involving recordings of sexual violence against adolescents were themselves minors.

The total number of suspected perpetrators in cases of sexual child abuse rose by 3.7 percent to 12,823, according to BKA figures. They were primarily men acting alone. Grein also emphasized that part of the increase could be related to the fact that more investigations are being conducted and more cases are being reported. Prevention campaigns may have contributed to more cases being reported. „Zwar könne ein Teil des Anstiegs auch damit zusammenhängen, dass mehr ermittelt und mehr angezeigt werde", he said.

Situation in Central Germany

The figures are also rising in Central Germany. Police registered a total of 1,884 cases of sexual child abuse there last year: 900 in Saxony, 543 in Thuringia, and 441 in Saxony-Anhalt. In Saxony, an additional 1,663 offenses related to child pornography were recorded, compared to 1,462 in 2024 and around 1,868 in 2023. Thuringia recorded an increase of 100 cases in sexual child abuse; the state rate of 25.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was above the national average of 20.5, with only Bremen and Berlin showing higher figures. Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia were also above the national average for adolescents, with rates of 2.3 and 2.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants respectively.

Criminal prosecution must be better resourced, demanded Grein with a view to the growing number of internet offenses. „Zugleich müsse auch die Strafverfolgung besser ausgestattet werden, sagte Grein. Gerade Straftaten im Internet nähmen zu, ebenso die Menge an Bildmaterial, das ausgewertet werden müsse." The federal situation report is based on the Police Crime Statistics and, according to the BKA, only reflects the so-called "registered" field — that is, cases that became known to police and were processed, including attempted offenses. The BKA also assumes there is a substantial "dark field" of unreported cases.

Dark Field and Digital Dimension

A child may be recorded multiple times in the statistics if victimized repeatedly. Dobrindt said he assumes a significantly higher number of unreported cases. The federal situation report also notes that the use of artificial intelligence may play a role in the increase in recordings of sexual violence against adolescents. Since June 2024, prosecution may be waived in cases of minor culpability, for example when parents or teachers forward such content for warning or educational purposes.

After a slight decline in 2024, the 2025 figures are now back above the 2023 level. The Child Protection Association sees this development as an argument against cuts to protective structures and in favor of their expansion. Grein's demand is aimed at ensuring that counseling services, youth welfare offices, and specialized agencies can operate independently of municipal budgetary constraints.

The presentation of the report in Berlin underscores the balancing act between a growing number of cases, increasing pressure on investigative authorities, and the call for more prevention. While Dobrindt presses for better protection „besonders in der digitalen Welt", Grein points to the everyday reality in youth welfare offices and counseling centers, which must not be hollowed out by budget pressures.